Successful Cases

State Supreme Court Upholds Decision Regarding Civil Rights Violations Finding Continued Parole Rejections Tantamount To Turning Sentence Of Life In Prison With Possibility Of Parole Into Life Sentence Without Parole

Robert Rosenkrantz, 39, convicted of killing a high school classmate who had revealed his homosexuality was released from a California prison Saturday, August 5th, after years of being rejected for parole, his attorney said.

Robert Rosenkrantz, 39, had served 21 years of a sentence of 17 years to life in a San Luis Obispo County penitentiary.

Department of Corrections spokesman Tip Kindel said Rosenkrantz was scheduled to be released sometime between Friday and Monday. Rosenkrantz’s lawyer, Marc E. Grossman, said he understood it would be Saturday.

Robert Rosenkrantz, 39, had served 21 years of a sentence of 17 years to life in a San Luis Obispo County penitentiary for the 1985 slaying of a high school classmate, Steven Redman.

Although Rosenkrantz had been told he would be eligible for parole after serving nine years in prison if he was a model prisoner, he was denied release several times.

Superior Court Judge David Wesley ruled earlier this year that Rosenkrantz’s rights had been violated, finding that continuing parole rejections had focused on the severity of the crime, essentially turning his sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole into a sentence without that possibility.

Rosenkrantz shot his victim 10 times with an Uzi carbine a week after his younger brother and Redman followed him and caught him with a male lover, the Los Angeles Times reported. The pair later told Rosenkrantz’s parents.

Rosenkrantz testified during his trial that he intended to shoot up Redman’s car, but killed his friend when he used an anti-gay slur.

On Thursday, the state Supreme Court declined to review an appeal by the California attorney general’s office, paving the way for Rosenkrantz’s release.